Believe!
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: NaruxIno! Our story begins as the two titans clash in the Valley of the End, each one struggling for dominance. Now written by me, Jessaiya Hawkins, and Lauren. Get ready for the ride of your life! Part 1 complete. Prt 2 coming soon!
1. I'm Sorry

The two weary genin prepared to end it. They were both almost out of Chakra and each of them wanted to end this _now_. Sasuke laughed insanely as he made several seald and his hand crackled with a black chidori. He was using the cursed seal for his forbidden 3rd shot, and he was stark raving mad now. "Naruto! I WILL KILL YOU!

Purple chakra coalesced into Naruto's hand as he used both his and the Kyuubi's power to form a Rasengan. Naruto's red, demonic eyes narrowed and he now held a fully formed Rasengan in his clawed hand. His tone ws that of cold steel, har and determined to succeed. "I don't think so teme. I have to bring you back, so there's _no way _I'm gonna die here!"

The two braced their feet, and shouted across at each other.

"All right loser, this is it!"

"Bring it on teme!"

The two leapt into the air and shot towards each other, eyes ablaze with fury, each one intent on winning this and fufilling their goal.

"CHIDORI!"

"RASENGAN!"

Their hands shot forward, and their attacks collided. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the red and blue chakra clashed back and forth forming a sphere of purple energy. Inside the sphere, their two attacks clashed again and again, neither one was gaining the advantage. Naruto snarled and put more energy into his purple rasengan, and Sasuke did the same with his black chidori. The two attacks met again, and this time they stuck too each other.

Then Sasuke laughed as his crackling chakra forced its way past Naruto's literally eating his Rasengan. "It's all over! You're as good as dead!" Deep withing the blond genin, the Kyuubi growled in frustration. **'Kit! You're not letting me help you!' **Naruto mentally shook his head at the nine tailed beast. _'I can't! If we use any more power, Sasuke will-_

The lord of all demons roared in fury at his vessels' incompetence. **'BAKA! _YOU'LL_ DIE IF WE DON'T PUT MORE CHAKRA INTO IT! BESIDES, WOULD YOU RATHER DIE INSTEAD?!' **Naruto thought the whole thing through, and then he hung his head in shame for what he knew he had to do now. And it tore him up inside to know that he had to be the one to do it. _'Sakura-chan, forgive me..._

_--_

Kakashi arrived on the scene, and saw the two locked in their titanic struggle, the purple sphere gone now, and their blue and red chakras blazing around them like a typhoon. His visible eye widened as he saw the chidori eating through Naruto's Rasengan. _'Naruto's losing control! At this rate, he'll be- _But then he saw a look of pure sadness and anguish pass over the blond's face, and he knew in his heart that Naruto had just decided to kill Sasuke, not willing to give his life to let the traitor live.

The jonin was immediatley prepared to jump in and break them up like last time, but he also knew that doing such a thing this time would just get himself killed by their blazing chakra. He fell to his knees in despair and slammed his fist into the ground again and again, drawing blood as he knew that the consequence of such an action would be dire and deadly for the poor boy. _'No! There has to be another way! If he kill Sasuke, the village will want his head on a silver plater!' _

But there was nothing he could do, and the Copycat Ninja knew it. He gave an anguished howl as another purple Rasnegan spun in Naruto's hand, the red chakra forming a _second _tail behind him. "Naruto!"

Sasuke's laughter stopped when his chidori stopped moving forward, and was held in place. His red eyes narrowed in annoyance, and he pushed with all his might, but to no avail, the crackling black chakra wouldn't budge. _'What the heck?! I had him on the ropes, and now we're dead even?!' _Then he saw the look in Naruto's eyes. The Uchiha immediately determined that the blond had decided on something, but he had no idea what that something was. While he was wondering what it could be, Naruto's other hand joined the clash, and now the twin Rasengan ate through the black chidori, without showing any signs of stopping.

Sasuke hissed in surprise, and channeled all of his remaining chakra into his chidori, hoping to slow the twin purple orbs. He succeeded in that regard, but only slightly, as they _still _ate through his chakra like a hot knife through butter.

An instant later, they smashed through it, and the Uchiha heard Naruto whisper three words, his voice incredibly sad. "Goodbye, my friend." It was then that Sasuke knew what Naruto had decided on, and his eyes widened in horror as time seemed to freeze_. 'He's gonna kill me. The loser is actually gonna kill me.'_

Then the twin Rasengan smashed into his face.


	2. Roses

**_This is Kuma In Pink_**

**_This is Kuma In Pink! Thank you for reading Believe! I promise you won't be disappointed!_**

**_Advice To All Fic Writers: go to my profile on you youtube and listen to some of the songs on my profile (abbienarutogirl)! Look for the playlist "Writin' Music". There's something on there for everyone!_**

White. The color of innocence, purety and all things left untainted by the world. This color surrounded Naruto, though in the form of a hospital room, which involves none of these things. The too sterile room felt more like a prison than a place of recovery. Just like the other times, the Kyuubi vessel was all alone, the only difference being that the villagers and fellow Leaf-shinobi hadn't put him here this time. No, it had been the person Naruto considered his brother, rival and best friend.

And yet, Sasuke came at Naruto with the intent to kill. Why? After voicing that he had felt the same way as he did, the Uchiha still continued to bring the blond down. Even going so far as to attempt to kill him. Even so, was this wasn't the outcome Naruto expected. Perhaps he was too naive, or maybe just blind, but never, not in a thousand years, had the gennin thought that he'd do something so unforgivable. Once again, everyone would hate him...

**'Don't do this to yourself, kit**.' The Kyuubi spoke in his mind, regret lacing his normally dark tone. **'You did what you had to in order to live.'**

"But its all my fault!" the boy replied, tears cascading down his whiskered cheeks. "I ruined everything, and now I really am a monster! He was the one person I wanted to respect me, and now he's...gone."

--

"Ino, why are you following me?" Shikamaru asked, as they walked down the hall. Yesterday, the guys, (and Akamaru), had come back from a failed mission concerning the retrieval of one Sasuke Uchiha. While the shadow-weilder had only recived minor injuries, Chouji, Naruto Neji, Kiba and Akamaru had all been critically injured. Thank Kami for the Subaku siblings! Without their help, none of them would have made it back in one piece.

Well, mostly everyone, that is. Yesterday, Kakashi had explained the outcome of Sasuke and Naruto's fight, which hadn't ended well. According to the Copy Ninja, the normally hyperactive teen had broken down and cried for hours on end. Oddly enough, Ino didn't seem too sad about Sasuke's death. And yet, when Naruto was mentioned, she begged to see him immediately.

Of course, Shikamaru had been the first one out of the Rookie Nine to figure out that Naruto held Kyuubi inside of him. The red chakra and face markings, combined with the cruel treatment of the villagers had been a dead giveaway.

Apparently, Ino had figured it out too. But when? Hadn't she, like Sakura, been obsessed over Sasuke?Perhaps, there was more to Ino Yamanaka than one would think. Somewhere along the line, there had been a big change that, for once, the shadow-wielder's genius hadn't picked up on.

"You're going to see Naruto-kun, right?" she asked with a smile. It was then that the Nara noteced the bouquet of white lilies in her arms. He raised an eyebrow at this, remembering that aside from Hinata, Ino was one of the few girls that didn't hate the poor blond.

"Yeah, I am."

"Then I'm coming with you." A faint faint blush graced her cheeks, though her eyes were less than happy. "I want to apologize for the way I teased him when we were little."

(Flashback, Five Years Ago-)

Ino and Sakura were in the park, playing tag with some of the other kids, when a smiling little fox blond ran up to them. He grinned at them innocently, and the other kids backed away in disgust.

"I-I got you something for your birthday, Ino-chan." he said meekly, holding out a beautiful, glass rose. "I hope you like it." Shyly, she took it, but just as she started to say thanks, Sakura snatched it away and threw it on the pavement. As soon as the flower hit, it shattered into a million pieces, which Naruto struggled to pick up.

"Don't bother my friend, ugly!" Sakura yelled, as she gave him a kick in the face."She doesn't like you!"

"What a loser!" one boy called out.

"Freak!" a girl shrieked. Ino would never forget the way his sapphire eyes dulled over in sadness. If it weren't for the fear of losing her popularity, the honey-blond might have not laughed as with the others.

"Awe! The dead-last is crying!" she mocked, as the others laughed.

"What a baby!" Sakura added, as Naruto ran off.

Later that night, when nobody else was around, Ino returned to the park and looked for every peice of glass. There had also been a card with the letter, obviously written by the boy. Under the glow of a near-by light, she read the letter:

_Dear Ino-chan,_

_I like you. You're always so sweet to everyone, even if you ignore me. I know you like flowers, so I saved up most of my money all year. I know you like violets better, but this was all I could get. I hope you have a happy birthday!_

_Your friend,  
Naruto Uzumaki_

(End Flashback!)

"He's really a good guy." Ino said, a single tear falling down her cheek. "And, to be honest, I've always liked him better than Sasuke-kun." Shikamaru stopped dead in his tracks, surprised by what he had just heard. "I don't get what everyone sees in that guy. He never loved anyone but himself."

"Then why did you join that traitor's fan club?" he questioned his tone harsh, as she turned away in guilt. A long silence followed before she answered.

"To be popular." came her simple shameful reply. "And I regret it everyday."

(Back In The Hospital Room)

Sakura barged in, her anger knowing no limits. Naruto, who was sitting up in his bed, looked at her with lifeless azure orbs._'Oh boy. Here she comes..._

"YOU KILLED MY SASUKE-KUN!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. He didn't even flinch when the kunoichi smacked him across the face. "I-WILL-NEVER-FORGIVE-YOU-FOR-THIS!" Each word was followed by another blow. Soon, his cheek was bleeding.

"Just kill me." Naruto said, looking away from her. "I killed Sasuke to save myself, so I don't deserve to live." Sakura smirked with grim satisfaction, as she pulled out a kunai knife.

"Good. This will be so much easier!" Just as she went to slit his thoat, however, she found herself unable to move. The enraged Haruno struggled to break free of here unseen captore, but ot no avail, "What in the-"

"Back off, Sakura!" Shikamaru warned dangerously.

"Why should I?" the bubblegum head screamed in outrage. "HE KILLED SASUKE-KUN!"

"Let her." Naruto whispered, his voice hurt. "Sasuke was like a brother to me, and I- I" A flash of purple and yellow streaked across the room and over to where Naruto and Sakura were. In one swift, graceful motion, she embraced him, not caring if she crushed her flowers.

"Don't say that, Naruto-kun! I need you!" she sobbed into his chest, and for once, it didn't matter if she would be looked down upon. Shikamaru watched in fasination as the demon vessel smiled before hugging her close to him.

"So you don't hate me, Ino-chan?" he whispered in a warm, loving tone. Sakura went to say something, but the shadow-wielder squeezed the Shadow Strangle around her neck in order to silence her. Her only response was to shake her head in his chest. Realizing that this was meant to be a private moment, Shikamaru sighed heavily and walked out of the room, dragging Sakura with him.

"Now to tell the Hokage about what you tried to do." he said to the cherry blossom. "Man, women can be such a drag."

**_Okay, this chapter is officially done! I will be doing all the even chapters, and Neon-kun will be doing the odd ones! Hehehe... even I don't know what he has in mind this time!_**


	3. Arrival and Offer

**_HERE IT IS MATES! THE THRID CHAPTER!_**

Tsunade looked out her window to see the angry crowd gathering outside. The woman gave an exasperated sigh at the sight of their faces. _'Naruto... It looks like they're out for blood this time.' _She heard a knock on her door, and sighed again, a tick mark on her face. "Come in."

The door opened to reveal Shikamaru, holding onto a VERY angry Sakura. He raised a hand in greeting, and thanks to his shadow possession, Sakura did the same. "Hey Lady Hokage. We have a problem...

--

Naruto laid back in the bed, with Ino in his arms, her head nuzzled into his chest. The two blondes let out a simultaneous sigh of content, and then giggled as they realized that they had done so at the same time. Then their blue eyes met, and their gazes locked. Ino's eyes traveled from Naruto's eyes to his lips, and vice versa for Naruto.

Then slowly, ever so slowly, they leaned forward until their faces were just an inch apart, their breath hot on the others face. Once again their blue orbs met, staring deep into each others eyes. They whispered:

"Naruto-kun...

"Ino-chan...

Then they leaned in the rest of the way, and their lips met.

--

Tsunade slapped her forehead in anger as the Nara boy finished. "Sakura, I am very disappointed in you. I hereby strip you of your ninja rank and declare you a civilian for the rest of your life." The girl's emerald eyes filled with tears, and she opened her mouth to speak, but the Nara silenced her with the Shadow strangle once more.

Hi svoice and face were filled with worry for his blond friend as he spoke."So what are we gonna do about the mob? I mean we can't just take Naruto out of the village, they'd probably end up chasing him." The blond woman banged her head on the table, feeling helpless about the current situation. "I don't know what we're gonna do about this, it looks like we've hit a- Just then she noticed something.

They were not alone in her office. They had a guest. Tsunade banged her fist on her desk, making a loud crack as she snarled out: "You have five seconds to come out. If you don't I'll tear your head off." A voice laughed out loud, echoing from all around the office. "Relax old hag. I ain't here to cause any trouble.

Then, as if he was there the entire time, a man simply appeared out of the wall. He had short orange hair that was reminiscent of Naruto's and he wore a black kimono and Shikamaru paled as he noticed the long butcher like blade on the man's back. _'That's one nasty looking sword. I better stay on his good side..._

Tsunade however, was still none to pleased with the newcomer, and you could tell by the look on her face and the fire in her voice. "Who are you and what village are you from?!" The man laughed at this, his tone carefree. "Village? Lady, I ain't from around these parts. I just came here to give ya a hand with Naruto."

Tsunade stiffened at that, her voice deadly now. "How do you know about Naruto?" The man grinned in response the expression on his face nonchalant. "Word travels fast in Soul Society, grandma." Now THAT, along with his apparent unwillingness to answer her, made her lose what little patience she had left, and she slammed her fist down on the desk, splitting it in two as she screamed at him:

"WHY ARE YOU HERE?!" The man paled and raised his hands in a placating gesture, his tone calm and soothing. "Take it easy! I was getting to that. Anyway, the name's Ichigo, and as I said, I'm here to help. I'll take Naruto and that blond girlfriend of his to where I'm from, Soul Society. There he won't have an angry mob after him, and I think he's had just about enough out of this place, don't you?"

His eyes narrowed as he spoke, and his hand clutched Zangetsu's hilt in anger. "I know I would if everyone around me hated me."

Tsunade hung her head and clenched her fist, seeing that he was right, and hating every minute of it. "Fine. But I have a stipulation. I want you to bring Kakashi Hatake and Hinata Hyuuga with you as well. They aren't exactly happy here either, and the village would likely turn on them for helping Naruto in the past."

Ichigo shrugged, not really caring as long as he brought Naruto to Soul Society. "Sure. You had better come say goodbye then. I already got my friend to get a hold of those two while we were speaking." Tsunade raised an eyebrow, she hadn't sensed anyone else in her besides the orange haired shinigami

"Friend? I don't see anyone else in here?" Then to her shock, a man wearing a dark blood red cloak, black sunglasses and with long black hair faded into existence, as did Kakashi and Hinata. Ichigo laughed out loud at the look of surprise on her face. "Here he is. This is Zangetsu.

--

Fireworks went off in their heads as they kissed. Ino gently wrapped an arm around his neck, and gave a soft whimper as he ever so gently pulled her in closet, deepening the kiss. The Yamanaka felt pure bliss as she enjoyed the moment with him. _'Naruto-kun, I love you so much.' _

Naruto had similar thoughts for his fellow blond as he gently held her in his arms. _'YES! Ino-chan's kissing me!'_

_--_

Tsunade saw the whole thing through the keyhole, and turned to Ichigo, who held up a hand. "Lets give the two love birds a little more time alone before they have to go."

(Five minutes later)

Ichigo opened the door to the room, and the two hurriedly broke the kiss. Naruto saw the broken look on Tsunade's face and Kakashi filled him in. Hinata hung her head as she saw Ino with Naruto. _'Naruto-kun..._


	4. Allies among enemies

Naruto's face fell, as did Ino's as they were informed of the situation. And yet, Naruto was the first tor recover his voice, albeit a bit shakily and he sounded quite miserable as he spoke, voice broken.

"W-What? We have to leave?" Tears began to brim in his eyes now, and it broke Ino's heart to see her boyfriend like this. Grabbing him by the shoulders, she gave him a gentle shake, her voice clear and calm, despite the fact that she was scared to death now. "Wait a minute. They might calm down-

Ichigo shook his head brown eyes weary, voice filled with sadness as he spoke. "Trust me, they won't. I've dealt with this kinda thing MANY times, and its always the same. They are NOT going to stop. Even if they did calm down today- Zangetsu faded into view nest to him, the Soul Slayer finishing the shinigami's sentence, his deep voice dead serious. "They will never stop hunting you. Not until you're dead. We must go. NOW."

--

Danzou grinned as he whipped the crowd into a riot, twisting every single detail of the retrieval mission. "THE KYUUBI BRAT WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED SASUKE!"

The crowd angrily roared their response: "Kill him!"

"THE UCHIHA BEGGED FOR MERCY, BUT THE DEMON BRAT GAVE HIM NONE! HE WAS GOING TO COME BACK, BUT HE WASN'T GIVEN THE CHANCE!"

"Kill him!"

"HE'LL SLAUGHTER ALL OF US NEXT!"

Now it seemed as if the entire village was roaring out its response. "KILL HIM! KILL THE DEMON! HANG HIM FROM THE HOKAGE TOWER!"

Danzou smirked as the crowd began to surge towards the hospital. "Yes, that's right. Drive him out, and straight into my grasp. Fools. These people are so easy to manipulate. Just like the rest of this village."

Then, out of the corner of his one good eye, the leader of Root saw the door to the hospital slide open revealing Ichigo first, followed by Naruto and Ino, hand in hand, then Kakashi and Hinata. Hoping to further incite the crowd, he jabbed his finger at the two blondes, indicating to the ENTIRE crowd where they were.

"THERE! THE DEMON BRAT IS GOING TO KILL THE GIRLS AND KAKASHI NEXT! STOP HIM BEFORE HE-URK!" He found himself forcibly silenced as a hand grabbed him by the throat, and a familiar voice angrily whispered in his ear, his long white hair flowing in the wind as he did so.

"That's quite enough out of you, Danzo. Or would you like me to break your neck instead?" The one eyed man instantly recognized the owner of the voice, sneered at him as he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. "WELL! IT WOULD APPEAR THAT MASTER JIRAIYA HAS COME OUT OF HIDING! HOW-The sanin's black eyes narrowed, and he squeezed down harder, constricting Danzo's airway, the stranglee giving out a gasp as he was cut off.

Now, as the Toad Sage spoke, his usually lazy/flamboyant tone was gone, replaced by one of pure malice as two of his personal Anbu appeared at his side. The one on the left wore a dog/fox mask, and his long greyish white hair trailed out behind him. While the other wore a wolf mask, his long black hair tied into a ponytail. "That's right. And I won't have you defaming Naruto like that." With a disgusted look, he handed the Root leader to the Anbu on his left, who had by now removed his fox mask, revealing his yellow eyes, and dog like ears on his head.

The root leader paled as he recognized the man, who grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "You! You're...Inuyasha! YOU ARE NOT supposed to exist!" The man gave Danzou a smug smile, baring his fangs as he did so. "Oh yeah? Well then- He shook off a glove, exposing a clawed hand, which he deliberately dug into the man's injured arm, all five claws digging into the man's skin. He then slowly pulled them out enjoying the cry of pain the wretch gave- "Then why am I here?"

The other Anbu let out a chuckle as he watched Inuyasha torture Danzou. "Keep it down will ya, mut? I wanna hear what the old geezer has to say!" Inuyasha glared at his fellow Anbu, tone jeering. "What's wrong Kouga? Afraid to miss something important?"

The man shook of his mask, exposing his chiseled face, black eyes gleaming out. "Shaddup! I just want to see if he's gonna let us kill the old mummy over here!" He jabbed a thumb at Danzou as he spoke, and listened to Jiraiya, who had by now finished his speech. He wore a disgusted look on his face as he turned around, Ichigo leading Naruto and the others through the crowd as he made his way towards them, Zangetsu drawn and pointed at the crowd.

_'Come on boys. Just TRY and jump me. I'll fry ya up for dinner.'_

And his wish was granted, as one VERY foolish man with short black hair and blue eyes rushed forward, kunia drawn. "DIE DEMON- That was all he got out, before he found Zangetsu sticking out of his chest, now in its released form. Ichigo's brown eyes were filled with disgust as he roughly twisted the blade, killing the man instantly, and tossing his corpse onto the ground, the blood soaking the earth. Needless to say, Ichigo was pissed now.

"Demon?- He turned to face the whole crowd now, and his voice was insane, knowing that this would scare the like out of them.

He reached up to his face, a nasty grin plastered on it as he did so. "I'LL SHOW YA A _REAL_ DEMON! WATCH CLOSELY BOYS!" His irises turned yellow, and the whites of his eyes slowly filled with black, as pulled his mask onto his face. As it slipped, he sheathed Zangetsu, and clenched his hands into fists. Then the mask reached his mouth, and he bared the fangs in an demonic grin, his voice distorted as he spoke.

"**HERE I AM BOYS! COME GET SOME! I'LL TAKE YA'LL ON WITHOUT MY SWORD!"**

But now, everyone was far to afraid of him to make a move, and they all shrank back in fear of the mighty shinigami/vizard, some of them simply turning tail and running home, screaming at the top of their lungs. Ichigo saw their fear, and spat at them, his yellow eyes filled with disdain as Jiraiya looked on in interest.

As did Inuyasha, who was impatiently awaiting permission to kill Danzou. "Come on old man! Can I kill him or not?!" Koga slapped his forehead, shaking his head back in forth as he did so. "Jeez! It's always Kill, kill, kill, with you! I have no IDEA what Kagome sees in you! She'd be much better off with me instead of-

Jiraiya rolled his eyes in annoyance as they bickered back and forth. "All right you two. Down. You can both kill Danzou, just make sure it's nice...and slow."

Danzou plaed even more now, finally noticing that almost everyone who supported him had fled, and those who still remained, quaked with fear. "W-Wait! If you kill me- Tsunade will-

Jiraiya whirled around now, and the Root leade realized too late that he had made a foolish mistake. The Sanin's eyes were filled with hate as he gathered chakra into his hand, voice as cold as steel, as Ichigo covered Naruto's eyes. "

"Change of plans boys. He's MINE. There is no way he's gonna live after mentioning Tsunade-hime's name."

Inuyasha was none too happy about the sudden change in plans, but then he saw the complete Rasengan whirling in the Sanin's hand, and immediately released the Root leader, who was now frozen from fear and blood loss.** (Yeah. Inuyasha was pretty mean to him while Ichigo scared the shit out of the villagers.)**

"Okay... But the next asshole is mine! Ya got that, ya old geezer?!"

Jiraiya gave a barely perceptible nod, his Rasengan now screaming to be released, hungry for Danzou's blood. He uttered one word before all hell broke lose.

"Move."

Which Inuyasha and Koga gladly did, jumping to the right, far out of range and landing next to Ichigo and the others.

The moment they were clear, Jiraiya's hand shot forward, holding Danzou in place by the arm. Then the other one, the one containing the now VERY large Rasengan, about the size of Jiraiya's head, shot forward.

"RASENGAN!"

**OKAY! NOW ITS KUMA-CHAN'S TURN! **


	5. Carnage

**The story is back! It is now beign written by me, Jessaiya Hawkins, and Lauren!**

The large rasengan hit Danzo in the center of his chest, and the impact was terrifically horrifying to behold. Danzo screamed as the rasengan came into contact with his body.

The moment the multicolored chakra whirl hissed against his flesh, he went into epilepsy like spasms, unable to control his body, so great was the attack.

Jiraiya's face was clouded over in a rare look of hate, and he made no effort to listen to the pleas of the dying man. "Goodybe!"

At last, it burned ALL the way through, leaving his body to jerked towards the ground. Jiraiya disdainfully let him fall to the ground, his chest now sporting a spiral burn mark, a clean hole all the way through.. His clothing had provided little protection.

"No one will defame Naruto." Jiraiya swore to Danzo, who could barely even move on the ground, so great was the pain. "Especially you. I aimed that rasengan to specifically to damage your heart." As if on cue, Danzo spit up a massive amount of blood. Jiraiya smirked evilly. "You won't be living past this day."

"Why, you.." Danzo said, spitting up more blood, feeling weaker every second.

"I will easily do what is necessary for my village." Jiraiya said strongly. "Naruto was fighting for his life. He did what was necessary. If Sasuke had killed Naruto, he would have been hailed as a hero. But when Naruto killed Sasuke in self defence, he was booed and hated as a murderer." Jiraiya picked Danzo up with one hand and whispered into his ear. " Now, may you enjoy a slow death...SCUM!"

As he spoke the last word, Danzo was thrown roughly into crowd, heaved over the sanin's shoulder. Everyone backed away from him, and a loud crack was heard as he ate the dirt.

"Hey, stop this at once!" Some members of the Root branch of ANBU yelled as they approached, shoving bystanders aside and out of the way as they charged forwards. "We will not allow you to get away with this!"

Ichigo paled, and abruptly covered Naruto's eyes, despite the protests of the genin. "Sorry kid, but trust me, you don't wanna see this."

Meanwhile, Jiraiya looked to Kouga and Inuyasha.

"You runts wanna take care of these guys?" Jiraiya asked with a grin. Inuyasha grinned as well.

"Fine by me. I could use a little exercise." Inuyasha swore, eyes alight with an evil gleam.

"Same here." Kouga said, removing his own mask. "Not that I have much interest in the power struggles here. But I won't let that mangy mutt have all the fun." He jumped into battle, using his fists instead of the katana at his side.

"Whatever." Inuyasha answered haughtily. "I can still kick your butt any day of the week." Then he two was in battle tearing through his enemies, slashing at a Root member who was trying to reach Danzo. The poor guy couldn't dodge the swing and he took the blow to the chest, leaving large slash marks running diagnolly down his body. As he hit the ground, bleeding heavily from a chest wound, Inuyasha moved on to the next enemy.

"Man this is just too easy!"

Kouga, meanwhile, was in midair. He had just delivered a spinning kick at one guy, smacking him in the back of the head and breaking his neck with the strength of the kick. As he got nearer to the ground, he lashed out again with his other leg, the receiver getting a knee to the gut. As the Root member doubled over, Kouga turned over in the air and brought down his other leg again and knocked the guy to the ground.

"That _was_way too easy." Kouga complained as they guy struggled for breath. "These guys are so weak. It only took one kick to knock the knock the wind out of them and immobilize him."

"DON'T GET DISTRACTED, YA STUPID WOLF!" Inuyasha yelled as Kouga sensed two people trying to attack him from behind. "WIND SCAR!" A wave of wind caught the two who were trying to attack Koga, nearly hitting Koga as well. The two attackers flew into a nearby building, no doubt with a few broken ribs, flying through a glass window and landing inside. They didn't emerge afterwards.

"You idiot! That nearly hit me!" Kouga yelled as he was showered by shards of glass from the two broken windows.

Inuyasha smirked, and that only served to worsen the situation. "Don't smirk!"

"Oops. Sorry. But I had confidence in that attack. You were in no danger." Inuyasha said as he came down from the air on some clueless ninja. The obnoxious and sarcastic tone could not be missed.

He was STILL chatting, whilst he broke the neck of the unfortunate Root Anbu

"Besides, if I had WANTED to hit ya, well lets just say there wouldn't be much left." Koga growled and elbowed one of the few remaining enemies hard in the gut, the Anbu doubling over in pain, before another elbow to the back of his head put him down for the day. "I swear, I don't know WHY I put up with ya.

Most of the people had fled by now, so few remained who still had the ability to fight.

Ichigo let out a sigh, still wearing his mask. "Well I guess that takes care of-

Zangetsu shot out to the left, impaling a hidden Anbu straight through the heart, whose death rattle was torment upon anyone's ears. With an angry hiss, Ichigp chucked the deceased corpse into what remained of the crowd, scattering them further. "That."

"Danzo-sama!" Someone screamed. Kouga and Inuyasha turned to see Danzo's limp form in a single hand of Jiraiya. His eyes were closed, blood dripped from his mouth, and he appeared to not be breathing. "You're one of the Sanin. How could you do this to him?" The person who had yelled demanded.

"You're just as blind as him!" Jiraiya thundered, silencing the person immediately. "How can you claim to be a shinobi when you couldn't even see the simple truth in front of your eyes?" The true situation could be easily seen. "But all everyone saw was only what they wanted to see, and most importantly, a lie! And Danzo was the worst one of them all." He threw Danzo to the ground. His body stopped with an almost mournful finality.

But he would certainly not be mourning the death of this most wretched man.

Now, everyone, or at least those who still had the guts to stick around, were frozen in shock. They all knew the legends of Jiraiya and knew he was no one to screw around with. But they had never seen him in actual combat. Never before had they seen someone who had had such cold look in his eyes as he delivered the final blow to his enemy. Even Naruto was left shaken, although he could not see thanks to Ichigo.

The blond _had_seen in him a fight before. It had only been one attack, a simple rasengan like last time, and this was the gruesome result.

"Whoa." Hinata and Ino said in unison. Kakashi was also in awe as well, never having seen Jiraiya so focused in his life. Naruto hadn't been able to see what had happened, as Ichigo had been covering his eyes. But he could guess, judging by the almost inhumane scream he had earlier he had heard earlier, and he guessed it hadn't been a pretty sight.

"You can... look now, kid." Ichigo said, removing his hand from over the blonde's eyes. Naruto looked onto the scene, expecting it to be bad. He was right. Bodies were all over the ground. Some were dead, others near death. Danzo himself was limp on the ground, blood covering his lower face. Naruto had used the rasengan enough to recognize the swirly burn mark on his chest, surmising quickly that damage to his internal organs must have caused his death.

"He choked on his own blood." Naruto said out loud, somehow not feeling sick to the stomach at this thought, as everyone else was. "The rasengan hit his heart precisely. And his heart didn't take it." Ino turned to Naruto, compassion in her eyes, and gently grabbed his hand again, squeezing it comfortingly.

"Hey, put your masks on again." Jiraiya ordered to the two. They complied with a sigh, finding them wherever they had been dropped during combat. Tsunade and Shizune, followed by a large group of ANBU ran onto the scene now.

"Is everyone okay?" Tsunade asked.

"Tsunade-hime, we're all fine." Jiraiya said. He looked at Kouga and Inuyasha. "We're leaving. I'm sorry about the mess. Naruto-kun, maybe I'll see you around. Don't be a stranger." He smiled fondly. And then Jiraiya, Kouga, and Inuyasha vanished on the spot.

Tsunade walked over to the still shocked group. "Naruto, are you sure you're okay?" She asked softly as Shizune directed the cleanup of the bloody scene.

"I'm fine." He said softly, still depressed, the sight of the grisly carnage oddly numb to him. "I just never thought I'd really to leave the village. Guess I won't be able to become Hokage after all." Naruto removed something from around his neck, and held it up to Tsuande. It was the necklace she had given him. "I shouldn't have the right to keep this." He said, holding it out to her insitently.

Tsunade shook her head and placed it back around his neck, despite the surprised look he gave her. "No, you earned that fair and square." She hugged him. "Some time away from the village will do you good. Make Konoha proud, that goes for all of you." She ordered gently. "And be sure to come back some day."

"I don't deserve this." Naruto contradicted. "I killed Sasuke. Remember? The Valley of the End will take a long time to recover from the damage as well." Ino felt tears coming to her eyes.

"You were doing your job." Ino said softly. "Remember, you're a shinobi. And even though you're still a person, Sasuke still betrayed this village. You did what you felt was necessary for the sake of this village's protection."

He let out a small, happy sigh as she continued her speech. **(for the record, they're around 15 At this time, despite what might have been said earlier**) "And while Sakura will always be angry, I'll still be here for you. That'll never change. And I won't let you fall apart." She promised, squeezing his hand while smiling.

"And n-neither w-will I, Naruto-kun." Hinata promised, absolutely HATING the stammer in her voice. Even though Ino loved him, she was still determined to be there for him through thick and thin.

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Ehehe. Thanks Hinata."

Ino however, was shooting the Hyuuga a glare. _'Watch it missy, he's mine.'_

The glare was returned in kind, and Ichigo visibly sweat-dropped at the sparks flying between the two teenage girls, a new rivalry already born this day, this one over Naruto. _'Oh boy. This doesn't bode well..._

But still, he felt a warm smile grow on his face, as Kakashi finally spoke up. "And what kind of sensei would I be to you if I let bad things happen to you unnecessarily? You _are_the only student I have left. Sakura has been stripped of her shinobi rank. From now on, you guys are all my students." Kakashi said fondly, draping an arm around the three, and getting embarrassed laughs in return. "And this time, no favoritism." He promised.

Naruto pumped a fist in the air. "Allright! Now THAT'S more like it!"

"Well, this is all well and good." Ichigo said impatiently. "But Soul Society is waiting. Are we going to leave any time soon or will this departure take forever?"

"We're ready to go." Naruto said, holding Ino's hand tightly and receiving a gentle squeeze in return. "Let's go."

But before more than five steps had been taken, he asked the most ridiculous question. Um...What's Soul Society?"

Ichigo face faulted.

Picking himself up, he let out another sigh. "Pfft. You'll know what it is when we get there."

_'Urgh, stupid gaki, he's too naive for his own good..._


End file.
